In these "dark times," Michigan Athletics has plenty of bright spots. Men’s basketball is a supernova and deserves all the attention and accolades. The Michigan women's basketball team is 9-1, ranked 6th with one loss to #1 UConn in a one-possession game, has a talented roster, and plays up-tempo ball, where the average win is by 44 points. Hockey is ranked #1, has a talented roster, and has a great chance to be the regular-season champs of the Big Ten.
Strong first half puts Michigan hockey in great position
Michigan is in second place in the B1G standings, two points behind Wisconsin with the same number of games played. Michigan State, the pre-season favorite, is five points behind in third. If you like tight regular-season races, this is for you because it’ll go into the last weekend. The schedule is better for Michigan because the second half “double-dip series” (four games) is against Minnesota, while Wisconsin's is against PSU. Although Wisconsin skates on home ice against Michigan and MSU.
With head coach Brandon Naurato at the helm, Michigan’s pattern was to start decently, be less than decent from mid-November through December, and then get it together for the second half. This year has been consistently strong play. The four losses were close and so far have allowed only 41 goals in 20 games, ranking in the top 10 nationally on a per-game basis.
Second half sets up nicely
January’s schedule is relatively soft, with teams in the lower half of the league. Michigan hockey is capable of three straight sweeps against Notre Dame, Minnesota, and OSU, and they’ll need every point they can grab because February is an absolute gauntlet, with MSU, PSU, and Wisconsin on three consecutive weekends. But Minnesota is the final series, presenting a good opportunity to regain any lost points.
Even though it’ll be a tough month, it should help that Michigan will be skating at Yost against PSU, Minnesota, and MSU, with one game at Little Caesar’s Arena. Michigan leaves the state just once, going to Wisconsin, which could decide the B1G regular season crown.
Being the regular-season champ is very doable. Being in the best league in the NCAA means that every weekend is crucial and every game is important. It’ll be fun. Then there’ll be the B1G tournament, and again, the schedule is kind because there’s a bye weekend for players to rest and heal up. After that tourney is the NCAA championships, and Michigan should be favored to be the #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament the whole way.